Every war the Indian Air Force has fought
India and Pakistan fought in 1947–1948, 1965, 1971, 1999, 2019 and May 2025, and for each clash the two sides’ loss and kill claims differ: they are given here as each side’s claims, attributed, with independent estimates where they exist, and neither side’s figures are adopted. Kashmir, where much of the fighting took place, is disputed and administered in parts by India, Pakistan and China. Where a consolidated sortie or loss figure exists in the official record it is given here; where accounts disagree, the range is shown and the disagreement named. Blank cells are blank because no figure could be verified, not because the fighting was small.
From the North-West Frontier in 1937 to Operation Sindoor in May 2025.
| Conflict | Jaren | Tegen | Hoofdvliegtuig | Uitvallen | Vliegtuig verloren | |
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| North-West Frontier operationsWaziristanIndian Air Force (No. 1 Squadron) | 1937–1939 | Tribal forces on the frontier | Westland Wapiti | — | — | |
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Army co-operation flying in support of British-Indian ground forces. No. 1 Squadron, then a small unit of Indian pilots under British command, moved into operations on the North-West Frontier from September 1937, flying army co-operation sorties for the British-Indian Army in the frontier campaigns. It was the first time the new service flew on operations, and it gave the Indian pilots the experience on which the wartime expansion was built. In March 1939 Subroto Mukerjee became the first Indian officer to command the squadron. Resultaat Part of the long British campaign on the frontier; the squadron gained its first operational experience. The sources checked give the start date and the squadron but no figures for sorties or losses. |
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| Second World War: the Burma campaignArakan and BurmaIndian Air Force (Royal Indian Air Force from March 1945) | 1942–1945 | Japan | Hawker-orkaan, Supermarine Spitfire, Vultee Vengeanceen nog 1 | — | — | |
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Strike, close air support, reconnaissance and bomber escort against Japanese forces, under RAF command. The war made the Indian Air Force. According to Wikipedia’s account, Indian squadrons flew strike, close air support, reconnaissance and bomber escort, and the first IAF strike was against a Japanese base in Arakan, followed by raids on airfields in Thailand. No. 1 Squadron went to Burma in 1942 under Squadron Leader K. K. "Jumbo" Majumdar, who won the Distinguished Flying Cross; Indian airmen won 22 DFCs in all. By VJ Day the force had about 25,000 people, and King George VI conferred the prefix "Royal" on 12 March 1945 in recognition of its wartime service. Resultaat The service grew to about 25,000 personnel and was granted the "Royal" prefix on 12 March 1945. Squadron-by-squadron dates, sorties and losses were not confirmed in the sources checked.
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| First India–Pakistan war (Kashmir)the 1947–48 warRoyal Indian Air Force | 1947–1949 | Pakistan and Tribal lashkars | Douglas Dakota, Hawker Tempest, Supermarine Spitfireen nog 1 | — | — | |
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Airlift of troops into Srinagar and Leh, close air support, supply drops. After the ruler of Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India on 26 October 1947, the RIAF and requisitioned civil Dakotas began flying Indian troops into Srinagar the next morning, 27 October. Tempests, Spitfires and Harvards then flew close support for the army, and transports supplied besieged garrisons; Leh was reached by air on 24 May 1948. According to the Wikipedia account, the RIAF did not fight the Royal Pakistan Air Force in the air. India and Pakistan hold opposing positions on the accession and on Kashmir, which remains disputed. Resultaat Ceasefire at 23:59 on 1 January 1949; Kashmir divided along the ceasefire line. Aircraft losses and sortie totals were not confirmed in the sources checked.
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| Operation Polothe annexation of HyderabadRoyal Indian Air Force | 1948 | Hyderabad State forces and Razakars | Hawker Tempest | — | — | |
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Close air support for the Indian Army from Pune. Two squadrons of Tempests flew from Pune in support of the Indian Army’s five-day operation of 13–18 September 1948. Wikipedia’s account records Tempest strikes clearing entrenched positions near Rajeshwar and at Suryapet. The operation and its aftermath remain contested: the Sunderlal Committee, appointed by Nehru and published only in 2013, estimated that 30,000–40,000 people died in the state and reported killings of Muslim men by members of the armed forces; other estimates are higher. Resultaat Hyderabad surrendered on 18 September 1948 and was integrated into India. The Sunderlal figures cover the whole period and are not attributed to air action.
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| UN operations in the Congo (ONUC)KatangaIndian Air Force (No. 5 Squadron) | 1961–1962 | Katanga | English Electric Canberra | — | — | |
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Ground attack for the UN force against the secessionist State of Katanga. The Canberra’s first combat use in IAF service was with the UN against the breakaway State of Katanga, according to Wikipedia’s Canberra article; No. 5 Squadron’s history also records its part in the Congo. Swedish J 29s flew alongside. Nehru kept India’s army brigade in the Congo during the Sino-Indian war but recalled the bombers. Resultaat Canberras were recalled to India during the war with China in late 1962. Numbers of aircraft, dates and missions were not confirmed in the sources checked. |
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| Operation Vijaythe annexation of GoaIndian Air Force | 1961 | Portugal | English Electric Canberra, Hawker Hunter, de Havilland Vampireen nog 3 | — | 0 | |
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Strikes on the airfield at Dabolim, the Bambolim wireless station and targets at Diu; ground support. On 18 December 1961 twelve Canberras led by Wing Commander N. B. Menon bombed the runway at Dabolim, and six Hunters destroyed the wireless station at Bambolim with rockets and cannon; Toofanis struck the control tower and wireless station at Diu. Portugal had no combat aircraft in Goa, and anti-aircraft defence was weak. The operation was over in two days. Resultaat Portugal surrendered on 19 December 1961; Goa was integrated into India. Sortie totals were not confirmed in the sources checked.
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| Sino-Indian Warthe 1962 warIndian Air Force | 1962 | China | Transport aircraft and helicopters | — | — | |
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Transport and helicopter support only; no offensive air operations. The IAF was held back. In May 1962 it was told not to plan for close air support, although that had been judged a feasible way to offset Chinese numbers, and during the war the government, advised by the US ambassador John Kenneth Galbraith and the intelligence chief B. N. Mullick, feared that Chinese bombers would retaliate against Indian cities. The decision is still debated in India as a lost opportunity. Resultaat India was defeated on the ground; the war ended on 21 November 1962. Details of transport losses were not confirmed in the sources checked. |
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| Indo-Pakistani war of 1965the 1965 air warIndian Air Force | 1965 | Pakistan | Folland Gnat, Hawker Hunter, Dassault Mystère IVen nog 3 | 3,937 | — | |
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Counter-air raids on PAF bases, air defence and ground support. The air war opened over Chhamb on 1 September 1965, when the IAF sent 26 aircraft against a Pakistani armoured thrust and lost four Vampires to PAF Sabres. On 6 September the PAF struck Pathankot, Adampur and Halwara and destroyed about ten aircraft on the ground at Pathankot; Indian sources say 135 SSG commandos were dropped on three Indian airfields the next night. The Gnat, credited by Indian and independent sources with seven Sabres, became the "Sabre Slayer"; one Gnat landed by mistake at the abandoned Pasrur airstrip in Pakistan. Canberras bombed the radar at Badin. Both air forces still claim to have come out ahead, and the loss figures depend entirely on the source. Resultaat Ceasefire in September 1965; both air forces claim to have come out ahead. Every loss figure is one side’s claim unless independently confirmed; the independent ranges come from authors named on Wikipedia (Fricker, Jagan Mohan and Chopra, Nordeen).
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| Air strikes in the Mizo HillsAizawl, March 1966Indian Air Force | 1966 | Mizo National Front | Dassault Ouragan (Toofani), Hawker Hunter | — | — | |
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Air strikes against the Mizo National Front uprising. In early March 1966, after the Mizo National Front seized much of the district, Toofanis of No. 29 Squadron and Hunters of No. 17 Squadron struck Aizawl and other places. The MNF described the raids as indiscriminate bombing of civilians; the official account, as summarised by Wikipedia, was that they targeted MNF positions. Wikipedia’s article describes it as the only prolonged air strike by the Indian government on its own territory. Resultaat Not assessed in the sources checked beyond the strikes themselves. Dates are given as 4–5 or 5–6 March 1966 in different accounts; casualty figures are not established.
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| Indo-Pakistani war of 1971the Bangladesh Liberation WarIndian Air Force | 1971 | Pakistan | MiG-21, Hawker Hunter, Folland Gnaten nog 4 | 5,978 | — | |
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Air superiority, interdiction and close support in both theatres; airborne and heliborne operations in the east. After weeks of border clashes, including the Gnat fight at Boyra in which two Sabres were shot down, Pakistan opened the war with air strikes on Indian bases on 3 December 1971. In the east the IAF won air superiority within days, supported the Tangail airdrop and the helicopter lift across the Meghna, and on 14 December rocketed Government House in Dhaka. In the west Hunters from Jaisalmer and Maruts stopped the Pakistani armour at Longewala, Canberras bombed the Karachi oil tanks, and Su-7s flew about 1,500 offensive sorties. Fg Offr Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, a Gnat pilot, received the Param Vir Chakra posthumously. Resultaat Pakistani forces in the east surrendered at Dhaka on 16 December; ceasefire in the west on 17 December; Bangladesh independent. Loss claims are disputed and differ by source; they are given here as each side’s claim.
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| Operation MeghdootSiachenIndian Air Force | 1984– | Pakistan | Helicopters and transports, MiG-23 | — | — | |
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Airlift and air supply to Indian troops on the glacier; MiG-23 air cover. On 13 April 1984 the IAF airlifted troops and stores to the base of the Siachen glacier so that Indian troops could occupy it before Pakistan’s planned operation; MiG-23s flew air cover over Kashmir. The first air landing on the glacier had been a Chetak casualty evacuation on 6 October 1978. The glacier remains disputed between India and Pakistan. Resultaat India has held the glacier since 1984; Pakistan contests it. Neither government’s formal statement on the dispute was reached for this page; sorties and losses not confirmed. |
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| Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri LankaOperation Poomalai and Operation PawanIndian Air Force | 1987–1990 | LTTE | Antonov An-32, Mil Mi-8, Mil Mi-25/Mi-35en nog 1 | — | — | |
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Air supply drop over Jaffna, then transport, helicopter lift and gunship support for the IPKF. On 4 June 1987 five An-32s under fighter escort dropped 25 tons of supplies over Jaffna, which the Sri Lankan army was besieging: Operation Poomalai, an Indian show of force that preceded the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord. When the IPKF went to war with the LTTE later in 1987, the IAF deployed An-32s of No. 33 Squadron, Mi-8 helicopter units and Mi-24 gunships of No. 125 Helicopter Unit. Resultaat The IPKF left in March 1990 without defeating the LTTE. IAF-specific losses and sorties were not confirmed in the sources checked.
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| Operation Cactusthe Maldives coupIndian Air Force | 1988 | Coup plotters and mercenaries | Ilyushin Il-76, Dassault Mirage 2000 | — | 0 | |
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Long-range airlift of paratroops to Hulhule airport. On the night of 3–4 November 1988, at President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s request, IAF Il-76s from Agra flew troops of the 50th Independent Parachute Brigade about 3,700 km non-stop to Hulhule, the airport island, which they secured before crossing to Malé and rescuing the President. Mirage 2000s flew in support. It was the IAF’s longest-range intervention. Resultaat The coup was defeated and President Gayoom restored within hours. The Wikipedia account says the Mirages escorted the Il-76s; some accounts describe their role as a show of force.
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| Kargil WarOperation Safed SagarIndian Air Force | 1999 | Pakistan | Dassault Mirage 2000, MiG-21, MiG-23en nog 5 | 7,831 | 3 | |
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Strikes on infiltrators’ positions on the heights; reconnaissance; helicopter support. Operation Safed Sagar began on 26 May 1999, the first large use of air power in Kashmir since 1971. Losses came quickly: Flt Lt Nachiketa ejected from his MiG-27 and was captured, Sqn Ldr Ajay Ahuja was killed after his MiG-21 was hit by a Stinger, and on 28 May a Mi-17 was shot down with all four crew. From 30 May Mirage 2000s with laser-guided bombs, escorted by MiG-29s, struck Tiger Hill and Muntho Dhalo. Pakistan at first said the intruders were independent Kashmiri militants and later acknowledged the involvement of its own troops. Resultaat Indian forces retook the heights by 26 July 1999. The cause of the MiG-27 loss is disputed: the MiG-27 article gives an engine flameout while firing rockets (the Indian account), the Kargil article says it was hit by an Anza missile. Sources also differ on whether the Canberra was hit by an Anza or a Stinger, and date Nachiketa’s loss to 26 or 27 May.
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| Operation KhukriUNAMSIL, Sierra LeoneIndian Air Force (with UNAMSIL) | 2000 | Revolutionary United Front | Mil Mi-8, Mil Mi-35, HAL Chetak | — | 0 | |
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Troop lift and fire support to break the siege of Indian UN peacekeepers. In July 2000, eight Mi-8s, three Mi-35 gunships and two Chetaks of the IAF’s UN detachment supported the operation to relieve Indian peacekeepers surrounded by the RUF at Kailahun. The Mi-8s inserted and extracted troops, including British special forces on 15 July, and the Mi-35s gave fire support to the columns breaking out. Resultaat The besieged Indian peacekeepers were extracted. The Wikipedia summary lists one killed and seven wounded but does not make clear whether these were air force personnel.
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| Balakot air strike and the 27 February air battlePakistan: Operation Swift RetortIndian Air Force | 2019 | Pakistan | Dassault Mirage 2000, Sukhoi Su-30MKI, MiG-21 Bisonen nog 1 | — | — | |
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Stand-off strike on an alleged militant camp; air defence against the Pakistani retaliation. On 26 February 2019, after the Pulwama bombing, twelve Mirage 2000s struck a target at Balakot that India described as a Jaish-e-Mohammed camp; Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said a very large number of militants had been killed. Pakistan said the bombs fell in an unpopulated forest and caused no casualties, and satellite analyses cited by Wikipedia (Planet Labs, the Atlantic Council’s DFRLab, ASPI and others) found no significant damage. On 27 February, India says, Pakistani jets crossed the Line of Control; in the fight that followed Wg Cdr Abhinandan’s MiG-21 Bison was shot down and he was captured. India says he shot down an F-16 first; Pakistan denies using or losing an F-16, and a US count reported in the press found Pakistan’s F-16s accounted for. The same morning an IAF Mi-17 was shot down over Budgam by an Indian surface-to-air missile; the Air Chief called it a big mistake in October 2019. Resultaat Pakistan released Wg Cdr Abhinandan Varthaman on 1 March 2019; both sides claimed success. Every claim here is attributed; neither the Indian F-16 claim nor the Pakistani Su-30 claim has been independently confirmed.
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| Operation Sindoorthe May 2025 conflict with Pakistan (Pakistan: Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos)Indian Air Force | 2025 | Pakistan | Dassault Rafale, Sukhoi Su-30MKI, Dassault Mirage 2000en nog 2 | — | — | |
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Stand-off strikes on alleged militant sites (7 May) and on Pakistani air bases and radars (10 May); air defence against Pakistani drones and missiles. After 26 people were killed in the Pahalgam attack, India struck nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir early on 7 May, saying no Pakistani military facilities were targeted; Rafales used SCALP missiles and Hammer bombs. The large air battle that night, with aircraft of both sides firing from long range, is where Pakistan says it shot down Indian jets. After drone and missile exchanges, India said on 10 May that it had struck radar and command sites and the bases at Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala (Nur Khan), Rahimyar Khan, Pasrur and Sialkot; Su-30MKIs fired BrahMos missiles. Pakistan’s Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos claimed hits on Indian bases and an S-400, which India denied and rebutted with dated images. Governments reported 21 civilians and 8 security personnel killed in India and 40 civilians and 13 military personnel in Pakistan. A ceasefire took effect that evening. Resultaat Ceasefire from 17:00 IST on 10 May 2025; both governments claimed victory. Both sides’ aircraft-loss figures remain unconfirmed; independent satellite analysis cited by Wikipedia confirms damage at several Pakistani bases, and AirForces Monthly reported that the Indian Air Chief’s August claim lacked supporting evidence.
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Niets komt overeen met die zoekopdracht.
Elk cijfer, gecontroleerd
- News On Air: Air Chief Marshal Amarpreet Singh lauds Operation Sindoor for precision strikes (3 October 2025)Air Chief’s Air Force Day press remarks: four to five Pakistani fighters destroyed; air defence central to the operation.
- PIB: Operation Sindoor: Indian Armed Forces carried out precision strike at terrorist camps (7 May 2025)Nine sites struck; Indian statement that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted; response to the Pahalgam attack (26 killed).
- News On Air: India conducts precision strikes on Pakistan military targets (MEA special briefing, 10 May 2025)Indian briefing: strikes on Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, Rahimyar Khan, Pasrur and Sialkot; denial of Pakistani claims of S-400 and Sirsa/Suratgarh damage.
- News On Air: US panel accuses China of disinformation after Operation Sindoor (19 November 2025)USCC report; restates the Air Chief’s claim of five Pakistani fighters and one large surveillance aircraft destroyed.
- Dawn: Pakistan vows revenge after Indian misadventure (8 May 2025)Pakistani official claim of five Indian jets downed on 7 May 2025; National Security Committee statement.
Cijfers geverifieerd op 30-09-2026. Back to the Indian Air Force.